It’s always sunny in Dayton, Ohio

Well, not really. After having grown up around the midwest, and gone to school in Minnesota, you’d think I’d be well acclimated to the northern climes. It’s just that, after all those warm winters (15 and counting) it’s easy to forget that it’s still pretty cold this time of year. Greeted by huge snow banks in Cleveland, and soggy grayness three hours south in Dayton…think I’m missing San Antonio yet? Oh well, at least we got to the 40s today.

The weather is about the last thing on UTSA’s minds, though, not with perhaps the biggest game in school history about to be played in less than a day. For those living under a rock for the past week, the Roadrunners will meet eminently-beatable Alabama State on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. in the First Four of the NCAA tournament.

Brooks Thompson held his press conference today in front of a grand total of reporters – me, and the local AP scribe. “That was pretty big-time,” Thompson dead-panned as he walked out to the court for a short practice at the University of Dayton Arena. (UTSA was to hold a longer, closed workout later in the day.)

Don’t worry, coach. Beat Alabama State, and you’ll get all the big-time you want with a matchup in Cleveland against No. 1 overall seed Ohio State. Point guard Devin Gibson was asked what that matchup might be like should the Roadrunners advance past the first round for the first time in school history:

“It’s never been done before,” said Gibson of a 16 seed knocking off a 1. “It would be a huge accomplishment if we were able to do that. (EDIT: More specifically, it would be the greatest upset in the history of the NCAA tournament.) But just being out on the floor with those guys is going to be good, just to compete against top-level opponents.”

Said Melvin Johnson III, “Like the NBA, everybody brings their best against the Heat, the Lakers and the Celtics.”

Uh, Melvin, what about that team in your own backyard that’s won a few championships over the years?

“I’m not going to lie: I’m not a Spurs fan,” he said. “I’m from Dallas.”

But first things first: Alabama St., which has needed to win 11 of its last 12 games just to crack .500 after a 1-7 start. As a coach who also guided his team through some tenuous moments, Thompson has respect for what the Hornets (17-17) have been able to do.

“Obviously it’s a great coaching job (by Lewis Jackson),” he said. “It’s a testament not only to the coaches but also the players. At 1-7, if you don’t have that character, you never know what you’re going to get out of it. They should be proud of what they’ve done.”

Jackson offered more details on Alabama St.’s remarkable turnaround during his portion of the press conference, er, intimate media gathering. He said a mid-season retooling of the team’s offense and the return of senior foward Tramayne Moorer – which coincides exactly with the upswing — were the biggest differences.

“It was paindful,” Jackson said, “but we knew we had a good core of guys.”

Plagued by various maladies over his career, Moorer has been sidelined while waiting to be granted a sixth year of eligibility, sick and then hurt before returning full-time to average 12.5 points and nearly six rebounds off the bench. He’s the exact type of strong, powerful body that’s given UTSA trouble this year, a huge reason why Thompson said his team’s fate will be tied primarily to how well it can keep the Hornets off the glass.

It’s an area they excel, outrebounding their opponents by an average of 11 boards in the SWAC tournament while limiting them to 39-percent shsooting. Alabama State also apparently uses a trapping, full-court press throughout the game, so it will be interesting to see how the Roadrunners handle it.

As bad as Alabama State’s offensive numbers look — the Hornets rank among the worst shooting teams in the country — 39.7 percent overall, 28.4 percent on 3s, 60.1 percent at the foul line — Jackson said that’s actually a significant improvement from where the team was just a few months ago. Even so, the Hornets are still a team that struggles to put the ball in the basket, and that’s a weakness UTSA can, and should, be able to capitalize on.

Will they? Remains to be seen. The Hornets are on a heck of a run right now. All I can say is that, in talking informally with players and coaches, the Roadrunners like this matchup. Certainly a lot more than the one they’ll get with mighty Ohio State should they advance.

STARTING LINEUPS

Alabama State

G — Jeff Middlebrooks (6-0, 170): 4.7 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 2.8 apg

G — Tramaine Butler (6-2, 180): 10.9 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 1.4 apg

F — Sharif Adamu (6-7, 200): 4.4 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 0.8 apg

F — Kenderek Washington (6-4, 185): 8.7 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 0.8 apg

C — Chris Duncan (6-9, 210): 7.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 0.8 apg

UTSA

G — Devin Gibson (6-0, 190): 17.0 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 5.6 apg

G — Melvin Johnson III (6-5, 165): 14.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 0.6 apg

F – Stephen Franklin (6-6, 205): 6.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 0.6 apg

F — Jeromie Hill (6-8, 230): 13.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.0 apg

C – Larry Wilkins (6-4, 250): 3.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 0.7 apg

Other notes

* Excitable play-by-play man Gus Johnson will call tommorrow’s game on truTV, which should be entertaining in and of itself. Here’s a taste of some of Johnson’s more memorable moments, as well as a soundboard .

* Another great taste of Hill’s dry wit. “Well, he’s not just a pretty face,” he began when asked to describe Gibson’s contributions, a not-so-subtle reference to the large bump on the side of Gibson’s head still remaining from Saturday’s Southland championship game.

* And another vintage Mel Johnson moment after a lengthy answer from Gibson: ”Uh, could you repeat the question.” To which Hill responded with a good-natured roll of the eyes.

* No game blog tommorrow. Instead, we’ll have some sort of live chat. I’ll get the link posted as soon as possible.

* Anyone making the trip up for this game is in for a real treat. The UDA is simply a fantastic place to watch a game: just small enough to feel like an old-school fieldhouse, just big enough to hit you in the solar plexus when the crowd gets into it. And trust me, it will. The fans here are still buzing after NC-Asheville just tied its game up against Little Rock-Arkansas with a late 3. These are two no-name schools, and the locals are into it like it was Game 7 between the Lakers and Celtics. Great, great atmosphere.